Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian to break ground on new Kirk Crossing building
BY BILL SHERMAN World Religion Writer
Saturday, February 16, 2013
2/16/13 at 5:55 AM
Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian expects to begin construction next month on a new building for Kirk Crossing, its satellite campus in Jenks, communications coordinator Emilie Bartel said Thursday.
The $7.8 million, 38,000-square-foot building will be located off the west frontage road of U.S. 75 just south of 111th Street.
The building will have a spacious lobby with a coffee shop area, a 500-seat worship center, and a two-story education wing for children and youths that includes space for a branch of the church's Pathways program, a ministry for people with special needs.
Announcement of the construction coincides with a leadership shift at the church approved Jan. 27 by the congregation.
The Rev. Wayne Hardy has become senior pastor, and the Rev. Tom Gray has become part-time teaching pastor. For years, they were co-pastors.
The Rev. Dan Bair is the new campus pastor of Kirk of the Hills, and the Rev. Sean Farver is the new campus pastor of Kirk Crossing.
Kirk Crossing has been meeting at 5 p.m. Sundays at Jenks West Intermediate School for more than two years.
This spring, they will hire a full-time children's director and full-time youth director and will move their worship services to Sunday morning, Hardy said.
They expect to be in the new building in 12 to 18 months.
Kirk of the Hills bought 80 acres in Jenks as a possible future site for the church when it appeared they might lose their property at 4102 E. 61st St. after the congregation voted to leave the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
At the time, Kirk of the Hills was the largest church to leave the denomination over concern that it was drifting from its biblical foundation.
In 2008, Kirk of the Hills lost a two-year court battle to keep their Tulsa property, but later agreed to repurchase the property from the denomination and remain there.
Kirk of the Hills formally joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in October, a mission-minded, conservative denomination that has grown to 450 from 177 churches in the past five years, many of them former Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations.
The church went through a lengthy process to get approval from the city of Jenks to build a sister campus on their 80 acres because the city did not want to give up prime commercially zoned property along U.S. 75, Hardy said.
The city eventually approved construction when the church agreed to build on the west 30 acres of their property, leaving the highway corridor open for commercial development.
Original Print Headline: New building set for Kirk Crossing
Bill Sherman 918-581-8398
bill.sherman@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Construction will begin this spring on the Kirk of the Hills satellite campus, Kirk Crossing, near U.S. 75 and 111th Street. Courtesy
The Rev. Wayne Hardy: He has been named senior pastor at Kirk of the Hills
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